| Account |
A user login and home directory which is usually password protected and
restricted to one user. |
| Address |
The location of a computer account that lets the user send or receive
data. |
| ADSL |
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A type of digital fax transmission
service. |
| Analog |
A method of transmitting data using electrical voltage, such as a
telephone call. |
| Archie |
An Internet tool used to search for information on anonymous FTP sites. See
Veronica. |
| Archive |
A collection of files available for access through the Internet. Also, a
collection of files, usually for backup or transfer purposes. |
| Bandwidth |
This indicates the amount of data that is transmitted in a given time. A
modem with a speed of 28.8 Kbps has twice the bandwidth of a 14.4 Kbps modem. |
| Baud |
The measurement of modem speed. |
| BBS |
Bulletin Board System. A system which lets people read each other's
messages on a computer. |
| Bookmark |
A bookmark lets the user mark an Internet site for future reference. It is
useful to quickly access commonly used sites. Browsers usually display this feature in the
Menu Bar. |
| BPS |
Bits Per Second. A measurement of transmission speed, defining how many
bits per second are transferred. |
| Browser |
A browser is a program which allows the user to access Web pages. Also
called a Web browser. |
| Client |
The user of an Internet service. This can also refer to software which
gets information from a central computer. |
| Compress |
A program which reduces the amount of space a file takes up by compacting
the file. See Zip. |
| Cyberspace |
The term used to describe the entire collection of sites which can be
accessed electronically and all of the data related to this activity. |
| Dial-up |
A way to connect to another computer or the Internet over a modem by
dialing a telephone number. |
| Digital |
This is the type of data used by a computer, consisting of a collection of
bits, the basic unit of computer information (0s / 1s) |
| Domain |
A subdivision of the Internet, usually a country or an organization. |
| Download |
To transfer information from another computer to the user's computer. |
| E-mail |
An electronic method of sending messages via a computer network. |
| Encryption |
The term used for scrambling a message to prevent unauthorized access. |
| Ethernet |
A standard type of hardware used by many local area networks for computer
communications. |
| FAQ |
Frequently Asked Questions. A document which contains a list of common
questions on a topic. |
| Fax |
Facsimile transmission, a method of sending information through phone
lines. Publications can be faxed to other sites via computer |
| FTP |
File Transfer Protocol. A standardized method of downloading or uploading
files on the Internet. FTP commands allow the user to easily transfer, copy, move or
delete files and can include graphical applications. |
| Gateway |
A device which interfaces two networks using different protocols. |
| Gigabit |
High speed data communications which transfers data at one billion bits
per second. |
| Gigabyte |
A unit of data storage. One gigabyte (GB) = 1,024 megabytes (MB or M). |
| Gopher |
A tool used for information search and retrieval on the Internet. It
allows the user to access information from numerous Gopher servers at one time. |
| Header |
The text at the beginning of a mail message identifying the source,
destination, subject and other relevant information. |
| Home Page |
The home page is the first page of a multipage Web site. |
| Host |
Individual computers connected to a network are know as hosts. |
| HTML |
HyperText Markup Language. This is the computer language used to create
and link pages on the Web. |
| HTTP |
HyperText Transfer Protocol. A standard protocol for sharing information
on the Web. |
| Hypertext |
A way of attaching words or phrases to a document which connect the user
to an alternate word or phrase, usually a definition or synonym. Hypertext is text that is
selected to link with other sections of a file, or other files. |
| Internet |
An interconnected world-wide computer network which shares information by
using several standard protocols. See HTTP. |
| IP |
Internet Protocol. The communications protocol used by computers connected
to the Internet. |
| ISDN |
Integrated Services Digital Network. This is a very high-speed digital
communications service for transmitting voice and data using telephone lines. ISDN lines
currently operate at speeds of 64 or 128 Kbps. |
| ISP |
Internet Service Provider. An ISP is a company which provides connections
to the Internet for different kinds of computer programs. |
| Java |
A computer language which allows programmers to create applets (small
applications) in a cross-platform format. Java is commonly used on the World Wide Web and
many new software releases are being created in Java to allow cross-platform use. |
| Keyword |
The word (or phrase) used to search for information in databases and
on-line services. |
| Kilobyte |
A Kilobyte (K) is a unit of computer memory equal to 1,024 bytes. |
| Kbps |
Kilobytes per second. Modem speed is measured at Kbps or 1,024 bits per
second. |
| Load |
When a Web browser shows a page on your screen from a requested site, it
"loads" the page. |
| Mailing list |
A list of e-mail addresses used to forward messages to a group of people,
usually on a particular topic. |
| Megabyte |
A megabyte (MB or M) = 1,024 kilobytes. |
| Modem |
Modulator/Demodulator. A device which connects your computer to a
telephone line, and translates computer data from digital to analog messages to send
information. It translates information from the phone line from analog to digital for
computer data. |
| Netiquette |
Network etiquette conventions. This refers to the accepted rules of
conduct on a network or the Internet. |
| Netscape |
This is the company which developed a browser called Netscape Navigator,
currently the most widely used Web browser. |
| Network |
A group of computers which shares resources and information, either
locally or world-wide. |
| Online |
If you are online, you are generally connected to another site (computer)
either with the Internet, Web or e-mail. |
| Post |
To send a message to a news group or a computer conference. |
| Protocol |
Protocol is a set of rules and standards which control data transmitted
over the Internet. |
| Provider |
A company which provides Internet access. |
| Search Engine |
This is a program which can search large databases for specific
information. |
| Subscribe |
To become a member of a mailing list or news group, or to acquire Internet
access. |
| TCP/IP |
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. This is a standard
protocol which is used on the Internet to allow different computers to communicate with
each other. |
| Telnet |
A TCP/IP application which allows the user to log in to computers which
are connected to the Internet. |
| UNIX |
An operating system commonly used by many Internet hosts. |
| Upload |
To transfer information from the user's computer to another computer. |
| URL |
Uniform Resource Locator. This is an address format for locating sites on
the Web. |
| USENET |
A world-wide collection of computer discussion groups. |
| Veronica |
Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net Wide Index to Computerized Archives. A
search tool which maintains an index of titles and gopher items and provides keyword
searches. See Archie. |
| Videoconferencing |
A technology which allows users to conference from different sites using
live video and sound. |
| Virus |
A program which can destroy data on a diskette or hard disk. Viruses are
usually passed via program files, particularly within the operating system. Virus writers
can also create viruses which attach to files. Virus checkers can be installed which
prevent most viruses from attacking a system. |
| Web |
Short for the World Wide Web (WWW). |
| Web pages |
These are the documents that make up the information you see when you
visit Web sites. |
| Worm |
A self-replicating computer program that invades other computers and
thrives in network environments. Unlike a virus, a worm is usually non-destructive. See
Virus. |
| World Wide Web (WWW) |
The World Wide Web (WWW) is the multimedia extension of the Internet. |
| Yahoo |
A search engine commonly used to search for data by keywords or a
tree-based system on the Web. |
| Zip |
A "zipped" file is a compressed file. It needs to be
"unzipped' to operate. Many files which are downloaded from the Internet are zipped.
|
11 B - Internet Terms